What is Counselling / Psychotherapy?
‘Counselling’, ‘Therapy’ and ‘Psychotherapy’ are umbrella terms that can be used interchangeably. For ease of understanding I will use the term Counselling/Counsellor to describe the work I do. Counselling is delivered by trained professionals and can be short term, medium term or long term/open ended. I provide a confidential service that is open to young people and adults from all backgrounds.
Through Rebecca Ellis Counselling Services, I provide time and space for us to look at what has brought you to Counselling. This might include talking about life events (past and present), feelings, emotions, relationships, ways of thinking and patterns of behaviour. As your Counsellor, I will not generally offer advice because you are the expert on your life, but I will come alongside you and together we will explore your issues, look at ways to resolve your difficulties or find alternative ways of coping.
Counselling is unlikely to be a ‘quick fix’ solution. You might experience a ‘light bulb’ moment, however in my experience what usually happens is that as part of the process of counselling you find yourself feeling differently and thinking or responding differently and not really knowing when or how that change came about.
What can you expect in your first Counselling session?
In our first assessment session together, I will find out more about you. I will ask about your background, your current situation, relationships/support networks, whether you have any health issues, addictions etc. I will also talk with you about what you can expect from the counselling, talk about confidentiality, and remind you of my cancellation policy etc. I will make a few notes in our first session.
Near the end of the session we will then discuss whether you feel I am the right counsellor to work with you. If we agree to work together, we will then agree an initial number of sessions – for short term work this is usually 6-8 sessions. For longer term work we may have an unspecified number of sessions but will review our work regularly every 6-8 weeks.
What can you expect in subsequent sessions?
In subsequent sessions I will ask less questions and we will talk about and explore whatever you need or want to explore. I might suggest alternative ways of thinking about a situation, or suggest some ‘homework’ for you to practice during the following week, and there may be times when I gently challenge you on something.
Once we get into the work of counselling then it may feel hard work at times. You might feel sadness, anger, or nothing, and you might even feel as though you feel worse than before you started the counselling. These are all normal feelings and part of the process of counselling and working through things that often may have been buried in your sub-conscious, or have been too painful or difficult to think about previously. At this point the temptation is to stop coming to counselling. I would really encourage you to keep coming to your counselling and to tell me what is occurring for you, so we can safely explore that together.
Fees
I offer a free 15 minute telephone consultation for you to ask any questions and to see whether you feel you could work with me.
Face to face counselling –
£55 per 50 minute appointment
Pre-payment is required to secure your appointment.
Online/Telephone counselling –
£55 per 50 minute Online/Telephone appointment.
Pre-payment is required to secure your appointment.
Discounts and concessions
I have a limited number of reduced rate places for those on low incomes or for Counselling students. Please contact me for more information.
Payments
Payments are payable in advance and can be made by bank transfer.
Cancellation Policy
I require 24hrs notice to change or cancel your appointment. If less than 24hours is given then a full session fee will apply.